I got this email from Dad last week, he had been looking through some of Mom's old cookbooks and came across a page talking about the different types of pasta.

I tried to find out the name of the cookbook, but he wasn't sure which one it was other than it was a cookbook from the Ragu Pasta Company.

Below is his email and list of pasta types that he sent;

There is probably no other food based item that comes in so many different sizes and shapes. The oddity is that if each one was to be prepared in the same dish or sauce they would each taste somewhat different.

There are many different types and varieties of pasta, and all this variety can lead to some not knowing which type to use for a specific dish. There is no hard rule that you have to use spaghetti noodles with spaghetti sauce, you can interchange most pasta in any recipe. Here is the list from the book;

• ANGEL HAIR---extra fine strands
• BOW TIE---shaped like a bow
• CANNELLONI---large tubes for stuffing
• CONCHIGLIE---small shells
• DITALINI---1/2 inch tubes
• ELBOWS---curved tubes
• FETTUCCINE---flat ribbons
• FUSILLI--curlu spaghetti
• LASAGNA---flat and very wide for layering; may have curly edges
• LINGUINE---very thin, narrow ribbons
• MANICOTTI---large tubes for stuffing
• MEZZANI RIGATI---ridged tubes
• PENNE---slant edged tubes
• RAVOLI---meat or cheese filled; round or square
• RIGATONI---large, ribbed tubes
• ROTELLE---small twists
• SHELLS---small, medium or large, for stuffing
• SPAGHETTI---long, round strands
• SPAGHETTINI---long, round, very thin strands
• TORTELLINI---small, stuffed rounds
• VERMICELLI---extra thin spaghetti
• ZITI---tubes

Everyone has a favorite type of pasta, what is your favorite type?